`Rain Man` The Big Winner, But Upsets Put Zip In Oscars

March 30, 1989|By Dave Kehr, Movie critic.

The 61st Academy Awards ceremony opened with two upsets Wednesday night, enlivening what had threatened to become a stiflingly predictable Oscar year. The evening`s most pleasant surprise was afforded by the best supporting actress win for Geena Davis, the lanky 32-year-old who played the kooky dog trainer of ``The Accidental Tourist.`` Davis` victory (in what was, in effect, the film`s female lead) upset an unofficial Academy tradition, which requires that a performer nominated in both the best and supporting categories-as Sigourney Weaver was this year-win the lesser award. It`s happened four times in Oscar history, but-to Davis` apparently genuine astonishment-not this year. The Academy also violated a tradition of picking sentimental favorites by naming Kevin Kline best supporting actor for his enthusiastic portrayal of a philosophical thug in the British comedy ``A Fish Called Wanda.`` Kline, 42, swept by Alec Guinness (in ``Little Dorrit``), Martin Landau (in ``Tucker: The Man and His Dream``) and Dean Stockwell (``Married to the Mob``).

Dustin Hoffman took the best actor award, his second win (after ``Kramer vs. Kramer`` in 1979) out of a career total of six nominations. As the autistic savant of ``Rain Man,`` Hoffman, 52, had ample opportunity to demonstrate the kind of conspicuous technique that traditionally impresses Academy voters. Speaking in much the same distant, hesitant voice he used for his character, Hoffman thanked his four competitors-who included onetime roommate Gene Hackman-``even if they didn`t vote for me.``

In the most suspenseful contest of the evening, Jodie Foster was an against-the-odds winner for her passionate portrayal of a rape victim in ``The Accused.`` Foster was last nominated at the age of 14 for ``Taxi Driver.``

There were few startled faces in the Hollywood community Wednesday night as ``Rain Man`` fulfilled wide expectations by dominating the 61st annual Academy Awards. MGM`s hugely successful dramatic comedy of fraternal devotion took four Oscars, including best picture, best actor, best screenplay and best director.

With a current gross of $130 million, ``Rain Man`` looks to be the year`s box office winner as well. Persistence paid off for Barry Levinson, who stepped in as ``Rain Man`` director after the film had been chewed up by four previous directors.

The best original screenplay award went to Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow for ``Rain Man``; ``Dangerous Liaisons`` secured a best adapted screenplay award for Christopher Hampton.

In other major technical awards, Peter Biziou`s flashy work in

``Mississippi Burning`` took the cinematography prize, while Arthur Schmidt`s work on ``Who Framed Roger Rabbit`` was honored for editing.

The Oscar for best original song went to Carly Simon`s ``Let the River Run`` from ``Working Girl.`` For the first time this year, none of the nominated songs was performed, a gesture that should earn producer Allan Carr the gratitude of millions. Winning for best original score was Dave Grusin, for ``The Milagro Beanfield War.``

The Academy once again played it safe in its choice of best foreign language film, choosing Bille August`s conventionally well-meaning story of poor Swedish immigrants, ``Pelle the Conqueror,`` over Pedro Almodovar`s bright Spanish comedy ``Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.``

Carr`s strategy of reuniting famous screen teams as presenters paid off most magically when James Stewart and Kim Novak, the stars of Alfred Hitchcock`s ``Vertigo,`` appeared to present the Oscars for sound (to

``Bird``) and sound-effects editing (to ``Who Framed Roger Rabbit``).

The program was frequently upstaged by the elaborate commercials produced especially for Oscar night, and aired at a cost of $375,000 per 30 seconds. Few of the evening`s presenters came off as naturally as the celebrities in the Revlon ads, which-perhaps out of revenge for not being nominated for her direction of ``Big``-were filmed by Penny Marshall.

In the special and technical awards announced before Wednesday night`s ceremony, the Academy`s Board of Governors voted a special achievement award to Richard Williams, the director of animation for ``Who Framed Roger Rabbit.`` Williams won an Oscar in 1972 for best animated short film with ``A Christmas Carol.``

An honorary award in the form of an Oscar was presented to the National Film Board of Canada in recognition of the organization`s 50th anniversary. A state-supported producer of short films, animation and documentaries, the Film Board has racked up 52 nominations and 8 Oscars over the years. Its first Oscar-for ``Churchill`s Island`` in 1941-was also the first Oscar given to a documentary.